My twins went to their school valentine disco yesterday. According to them is was awful. They complained the songs were rude and the music videos on the screen were (too much kissing) and it was too noisy. And they hardly did any dancing cos their class mates were mocking them.

We moved them from a smaller school last autumn because educationally it was lacking so much. But the children are no where near as kind. Have to say, if I was choosing again I wouldn't move them. They are handling it well but we have agreed that next year they can invite a couple of friends round to make heart gingerbread cookies instead of attending the disco.

I refused to let miss by eck go to the Halloween disco in the autumn and a lot of the mums couldn't understand. I was told it was just celebration.and they didn't have to dress up
I pointed out that we didn't celebrate Eid, or Hannukah, or Diwali.so why should I leather celebrate samhain

Mine was standard green/khaki colour. Not proper green, not proper khaki, and certainly not maroon. I once met an ex para. I asked him if they deserve their civilian reputation. His response? 'You train men to jump out of an aeroplane behind enemy lines, smack ten tons of shit out of the enemy and make it back for tea and medals, and yet you expect them to still be normal well adjusted people?' Quite.

Busy, stressful day. Got called into the head's office coz there was an accident in the playground yesterday and apparently I could have prevented it. Basically a boy pushed another boy and he fell on his face and grazed it and made his nose bleed. It is all on video, which I was made to watch and it happened in the blink of an eye virtually so I don't know how I could have prevented it.? I didn't know the boys and they weren't arguing before this happened...???

Also daughter has said that some boys in her class are calling her names because she is English. The names translate as: satan, damned, half-breed, ignorant etc....not very nice. Daughter doesn't want us to do anything coz she says she will have the reputation of a tell-tale but hubby went into the school and tried to find the ringleader. He couldn't find him so he asked some girls in her class, where's...........? I want to speak to him; hoping it will get back to the ring leader. All sounds pretty Neanderthal to me but things are different here.

RE Valentines discos at schools- why do they hold them for 10 year olds? I don't like it the way schools promote these events and I espcially dislike it when they promote these trips to abroad. My Step Son wanted to go to Moroocco for a maths trip- the answer was no!!! Really gets my goat.

what is wrong with trips abroad? for some kids it might be the only chance they get to travel abroad...

maths trip to morocco sounds good - may have to investigate that!!

I went on two foreign trips when I was at school (and my family had never gone on holiday abroad) - one visiting trenches etc of the first world war which was a brilliant and thought provoking trip, seeing some of those graveyards that just seem to go on for ever has remained with me till this day. And a french exchange trip which was also very character building - I was rubbish at french so staying with a family that spoke no english was hard!

MC - my mum had injections in her knees every 6 months for about 5 years and they helped her a lot although less so towards the end which is why she had to have the operations. Hope whatever is decided doesn't keep you away from running for long.

I went to Austria with the school when I was about 12. It was for sightseeing not skiing. It was great fun and I?? hadn't been abroad before that.

I must admit I loved school discos but I was a little older 12, 13 and 14 when I went to them. But they probably were a lot different then...and I'm no prude but I hate swearing in songs.

My girls who go to the other school (nicer but not so good at the education part) had their discos today. Soooo much nicer. Songs suitable for the age, everyone dancing happily, just a young kids party. No Byeck - we definitely don't do halloween. And I can't even take Smidge into our big Tesco at the time of year cos of all the scary costumes hanging from the ceiling.

Jude - sounds like a rough day.

I went on one overseas trip whilst at school - to Moscow and Latvia the year after the Berlin wall came down. Was an amazing experience but must have been a nightmare for the teachers cos nothing they had arranged worked out re hotels/trains etc. I don't think they ever repeated it.

Pilates this morning. Only one of my teenagers turned up for the training run this eve. She did great though and we ran 1 1/2 miles. She's going to have no problems working up to 3.

aw jude thats terrible hope yourdaughter is ok. i dont blame your husband at all for going and doing the hands on approach himself. sometimes its the only way. ofteni feel if parents mention things at school and ask for it to be dealt with it never is in a way that resolves anything!. they go about it in a tippytoe manner pandering and mollycoddling the bullies-that aint how it was whn i was at school!!. i did and still do live in a military environment, the school miss LLB attends is the same one i went to. when i attended 100% of the pupils had fathers or mothers in military. now because some of the housing was sold there in an injection of prob 30% civilan here. The school is still v good but back in my day(god i sound old) i have to say my mum always said the pupils were extremely well behaved. partly ,no doubt to us all not daring to stepout of line anywhere because everybodys dad knew everybodys dad!-and their kids!! there was no escape! it wasnt unusual for someone to be marched home by someone elses dad if theyd been caught lobbing stones, pulling bits of trees etc.......that was the good ol' days!

i still have no qualms about collaring children from miss LLBs school if i think they have been unkind and just quietly saying i will have words with their dad if they dont stop...schools just dont seem to deal with things v well these days i feel.

I once met an ex para. I asked him if they deserve their civilian reputation. His response? 'You train men to jump out of an aeroplane behind enemy lines, smack ten tons of shit out of the enemy and make it back for tea and medals, and yet you expect them to still be normal well adjusted people?' Quite.

my By eck, this is very true, and i agree. There was a documentary a while back on soldiers trying to fit back into civilan life after either returning from Afghan/Bosnia, or upon leaving the army. it was very very sad. in my opinion(from experience), very few can adjust to civilian life fully if having served over a certain number of years and certainly those wh have been on tours in Afghan or Bosnia etc. your quote above reminded me of a soldier interviewed who complained about the lack of post tour duty care. he had been serving in Afghan under no doubt horrific situations at times and said after his last day there he was on a plane home and was soon standing in his own hallway pouring desert sand out of his boots having only 12 hours earlier been in a killing field........and he was expected to then fit back into normal life and be behind a desk doing paperwork in 2 weeks time.......how can this be right?....sad, so sad.

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